Expressions Of The Heart
by dreamingsstars
Summary: Being Tony Stark gave him everything he wanted...but an empty life wasn't all that spectacular. Can a new girl open his eyes and show him there's more to life than sex, parties, drinking, and goofing of? Will it lead to something more? AU high school story with my own little twist.
1. My Temporary Home

Pepper Potts took a deep breath as she stared at the school ahead of her. It was her first day at Atlas High as a junior and as a student. Her family had moved to Malibu just over a month ago. Her father had been offered the head of accounting job for Stark Industries and couldn't say no to the opportunity. Before she knew it, their family had packed up their belongings and left Maryland. Her father, Rodger, had seen the potential in moving to the West Coast, but Pepper hadn't at first. Ocean City was her home, and it was hard to leave it behind. Her best friends were there, her boyfriend was there, and most importantly, her memories were there. She knew it was selfish, but she didn't care. Her senior brother, Peter, had told her she was bound to make new friends and find some new guy to drool over; and Peter was probably right minus the drooling over a new guy part. Last week, she had accepted the fact that she would be living in Malibu for the next two years, and as sad as she was about it, she knew new memories could be made if she gave Malibu a chance. On that same night, she decided to go out for a drive to find out what her new hometown had to offer. It didn't take her long to realize Malibu wasn't so bad after all. There were gigantic shopping centers, beautiful landmarks, and the ocean breeze she had felt walking down the beach had been amazing. Off various piers were carnival games and rides, photo booths, food trucks, and candy stands. Malibu was very similar to Ocean City, but with its own little twist. With time, Pepper knew she could learn to love her new home.

"Cheer up. I'll let you drive the way back," said her brother walking beside her.

"For the millionth time, I don't care," responded Pepper, a bit annoyed. The two siblings had managed to convince their parents to let them drive to school this morning, but their father was adamant on Peter being the driver even though she had her license for nearly a year.

"Sure you don't." Pepper rolled her eyes and started the long walk to the Atlas High's school campus. The both of them had arrived ten minutes early and she thought it'd get them a decent parking spot...they didn't.

"I'm just thinking. You might want to try it out."

"Ouch," replied Peter, feigning hurt by placing one of his hands across his chest.

"But not about Robert, right? I hate that guy."

"I thought the two of you were friends," countered Pepper.

"Not after what he did. By the way, who does that and doesn't even apologize for it?"

"He has, Peter. Many times. And I believe him; that's what matters."

"I still can't believe you forgave him." Pepper smiled. She and her brother had their differences, but she could always count on him to protect her, which was what Peter had done with Robert when he caught him pressuring her for sex one night during an end of the school year party.

"Do you think we'll see Tony Stark," her brother asked, changing the subject.

"Don't tell me have a man crush on him," teased Pepper.

"What? No! I just want him to know that if he even so much thinks about coming up to you, I'll..."

"Punch him in the face," she asked.

"Uh, yeah! And I know you think I over..." Pepper just shook her head and laughed as Peter reminded her that Robert had deserved that punch to the face and a lot more.

"And besides, I know you have a little crush on Stark," added Peter. Pepper kept quiet at that. Her brother was right. Tony Stark was a genius, but he was also too smart for his own good. Rather than making headlines for his occasional invention for his father's R&D department, he made it for his playboy mannerisms. Pepper didn't see the appeal for such a lifestyle, and it baffled her even more when girls sacrificed their morals for a night with him. It seemed foolish. But she had to admit, Tony Stark was incredibly cute. He had a nice smile, a muscular build, tan skin, perfectly tousled brown hair...he was the classic fantasy of what a girl dreamed for in a guy. He also had a good heart. Lifestyle aside, Tony was an active member of an organizational charity that helped abandoned children. Pepper didn't know what he did exactly, since it wasn't in the news much, but to her, it was the only part of Tony that made him bearable. Because other than that, he came off as an arrogant asshole.

"Are you even listening?" Pepper snapped out of her thoughts, not knowing how long she had drifted off, and opened her mouth to respond to Peter, but a voice beat her to it.

"Mr. and Ms. Potts. I'm Mr. Thomas," said the suited man as he came up and shook Peter's hand.

"The principal of Atlas High. How do you two like what you've seen of the campus thus far?"

"It's enormous," said Pepper as she and her brother followed Mr. Thomas' footsteps down the hall.

"It gives us everything we need to allow our students an equal opportunity for success."

"I'm sure that's the reason," whispered Peter. Pepper scoffed quietly and lightly slapped him on the arm.

"Here's the campus map, should one of you get lost." The both of them each take a rolled up paper.

"Peter, your homeroom is the first door around this corner. I suggest you head over now since it's ten past eight."

"Right. Bye." With a final wave to his sister, Peter left in the direction of his homeroom.

"And Virginia, your homeroom is back where I first approached you. I assume you know the music room?"

"By the fountain," she said curiously, remembering seeing such a building vaguely.

"Yes. Have a great day, Ms. Potts." With that, Pepper thank the principal and left. It was a short distance to homeroom, but she didn't exactly want to head in yet, so she decided on a longer route. Ten seconds in, she heard the sound of a couple fighting out on the quad.

"Do you even realize that?"

"He did not!" The couple was too entranced in their argument to notice her presence. _Or they just don't care, _she thought.

"Oh, so you had planned on sleeping with him? God, that makes it all the more better, doesn't it?!"

"I didn't plan it, Wilson. It just happened!"

"He took advantage of you, Cassidy. And why were you even talking to him to begin with? He's a junior!" Pepper internally sighed when she couldn't hear the rest of the conversation once she turned down the hall. She wasn't the kind of person who like drama, but she loved watching a good fight. Finding the music room seconds after, she released a breath and walked in, quickly noticing everyone in the room staring at her for the briefest second.

"Here goes nothing," she murmured under her breath. It was always embarrassing to walk in late to class.

"Ms. Potts?" Pepper turned around at the call of her name and saw a middle aged woman smiling at her.

"Here is your schedule for the semester." Pepper kindly took the piece of paper and made her way to an open seat in the back of the class, all the while thinking back to the fighting couple. A relationship like theirs wasn't made to last. They were based on popularity, which was why she never bothered to fit in at school. Looking down at her fall schedule, she could see it was going to be a long and tiring day. All she could think about was the fact that she couldn't wait for it to be over.


	2. Pull My Focus Out

**Hey guys! I want to say thanks for your guys' support, follows, and favs. Things have been busy lately, but I finally got the time to sit down and write the next chapter.**

* * *

Tony Stark was known for many things, and he knew that most of those things weren't necessarily the best things. High school proved it. It was the first day of junior year and his day had already started off on the wrong foot. His mother had woke him up for breakfast with the promise of her famous pancakes and omelets, and against his normal behavior, he got out of bed minutes later and went downstairs to find his mother. Maria was usually always up in her office, and rarely did she come down to spend time with him. The little time he did spend with his mother today had made him aware of the fact that he had missed her - not that he'd ever admit it. He was used to it...being nonexistent to his parents. And when they, particularly his mother, did show the slightest bit of interest in him, he latched onto it for reasons still unknown to him. His parents gave him everything he ever wanted: fast cars, the girls, unlimited freedom...he had it all, but every so often, he did wonder what it was like to be loved, to be the center of a parents' life in a way all normal kids were. Maybe things would be different if he spoke up, but he didn't do that kind of thing...which was why he was now speeding down an 65mph highway. Breaking the rules had always calmed him down; he needed to for his sake. If he kept everything bottled up inside, he'd turn into his father, which was the last thing he wanted.

"You're late," said a voice as soon as Tony got out of his Audi.

"I'm fifteen minutes early," replied Tony to Rhodey. James Rhodes had been his best friend since freshman year and the two of them had hit it off from the start since they met in homeroom three years ago.

"I remember asking you to be here by 7:30."

"You know what? I'm in such a good mood that I'm not even going to argue with you," stated Tony, putting on his jacket and walking towards campus.

"Same homeroom," Tony questioned seconds after.

"Yeah. And I..." Rhodey trailed off as he saw his friend flash a smile to the group of cheerleaders nearby.

"Seriously? You've been on campus only a minute."

"Why would I deny them the joy of seeing my smile?" Tony smiled again, this time to a group of girls who had waved at him. He knew his actions added more fuel to his overinflated ego, but he didn't care. After all, it would had been rude to just ignore them.

"I don't get it," stated Rhodey with a shake of his head.

"I do," smirked Tony, reaching over to clap his hand around Rhodey's back.

"Anyway," said Rhodey with apprehension, but choosing to continue.

"I'd steer clear of Wilson. He knows about you and Cassidy."

"Whoa, what?" As soon as those words left his mouth, Tony halted and turned around so he could face Rhodey.

"Did I do something to piss you off?"

"I didn't tell him, Tony," deadpanned Rhodey. _Right,_ he thought. _He'd never rat me out._

"Then how did he find out?"

"I don't know. I just got word from one of the guys that Wilson's looking for you." Tony let out a deep breath and ran a hand down his face. He was drunk out of his mind that night and he couldn't remember much, even if he tried. He knew Cassidy and knew she was involved with someone else, but a part of him had felt that she had been sending him signals over the summer. As a way to test it, he had went up to her at his party and asked if she wanted a drink since hers was empty. Four shots later, he returned with Cassidy's drink and she decided to thank him by putting her hands down his pants.

"Great," said Tony sarcastically as he made his way into the music room, Rhodey closely behind.

"Very nice to see you two again," said Mrs. Sanders, their homeroom teacher. Pushing his thoughts aside, Tony grabbed the paper that was handed to him and sat down at the back of the class.

"Don't tell me you're butt hurt over this," whispered Rhodey, taking out his pencil.

"I'm not," said Tony defensively.

"Okay, just a little," he added as Rhodey shot him a raised brow.

"Because Wilson's the football captain this year?"

"Yep." Rhodey let out a chuckle, clearly enjoying the situation.

"You should had thought of that before you fucked his girl."

"Yeah, well..." Tony trailed off and began his information sheet. In all honestly, he hated football. He was more of a soccer guy. But he couldn't quit. He and his father never talked much, and when the both of them did, it ended up in fights. Joining football, per Howard's request, gave them something to talk about whenever he was home, and Tony wasn't willing to give that up even though he knew it was no use trying to please his father. It would never work. Looking around to find a distraction, he did. He saw a girl talking to Mrs. Sanders. _Is she new, _he thought. He had never seen her around, because if he had, he would had remembered. Her hair was blonde, but there was a slight hint of red in it. With a swift glance in her direction, he could see blue eyes and light freckles on her face. He slouched over to get a better look at her, but she had turned around to face the class at the same time. Not risking getting caught, he decided to quit staring and go back to his work.

"Who's that," asked Tony a few minutes later. Rhodey raised his brow and followed the direction of Tony's pen to the girl in question.

"Never seen her before. Why are you asking?"

"Nothing," muttered Tony. Rhodey grinned, deciding to omit the fact that he had seen Tony checking her out for now.

"Wow, how convincing." Not getting a response, Rhodey returned back to his work. It wasn't until a couple of minutes had passed that Rhodey decided to speak up again.

"Go over and talk to her."

"Uh, this is a four paged packet," replied Tony, as if it was a lot of work.

"Sure," murmured Rhodey with a hint of amusement. And just like that, Tony stopped filling out a section of his personal information to look over at Rhodey with suspicion.

"Okay, first of all, I'm not scared to go up and talk to her."

"I never said you were."

"You didn't have to." Rhodey just shrugged, knowing it would only irritate Tony more.

"And second," added Tony with a quick glance over at the girl.

"She looks busy."

"Excuses," chirped Rhodey in a musical tone. Tony dropped the pen out of his hand this time and looked at Rhodey with a hint of annoyance.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you making excuses?"

"I'm not," asserted Tony.

"You so are," said Rhodey with a smile on his face.

"I'm not," asserted Tony again.

"And why do I get this feeling that you're the one that actually wants to go talk to her," he added.

"I wasn't the one staring at her the moment I noticed her in the room," responded Rhodey with a superior tone.

"She has long legs," smirked Tony, hiding his true thoughts.

"Right," Rhodey acknowledged with a laugh before returning to his work.

"You know what? Screw it," muttered Tony minutes later as he picked up his backpack. He knew going over there would only prove Rhodey right, but he had to know who she was.


	3. Watch It Begin Again

**It looks like I'll be updating every two weeks. Without further ado, here'****s the third chapter. Enjoy and feel free to review! :)**

* * *

"That's awesome," said Tony, pointing to her drawing of Pikachu she had on the corner of her map.

"But I like Togepi." Pepper smiled and glanced up. Thanks to her blatant obsession with the E! channel, she knew who had just approached her.

"Togepi is pretty adorable," replied Pepper, seeing that all too familiar smirk on his face. A part of her was shocked, but not surprised that Tony had come up to her. Compared to his other girls, she stuck out like a sore thumb. She wasn't outgoing, she wasn't a flirt, and she wasn't a cheerleader or on a team sport. But if there was one thing Pepper did know, it was that she wasn't a Plain Jane. Back in Maryland, she had been able to slide past the radar...thanks to Robert, but she knew such luck didn't extend here. She had to be careful. The last thing she needed was for Tony Stark to get in the way of her relationship.

"If an eggshell's adorable, then what does that make Pikachu?"

"Huggable," replied Pepper with a curved smile.

"Just because Togepi cries a lot doesn't mean he isn't huggable," countered Tony with a smile.

"And besides, Pikachu was a dick at first. He only cared about himself."

"He was still huggable," stated Pepper again.

"He shocked everyone that touched him. How do you call that huggable?" Pepper was left speechless at that. She didn't know to respond and she didn't realize just how much Tony knew about Pokemon.

"Got you," he replied smugly. He normally didn't gloat in front of people he didn't know, but he thought it fit well with the situation. After all, he did outsmart her within the first minute of meeting her. It was a record on his part.

"I'm Tony." Pepper smiled sweetly and removed her backpack as Tony made his way over the opening of the desk.

"Pepper," she replied, a little surprised that Tony hadn't introduced himself in an egotistical fashion. It wasn't what she had expected, but she didn't care. Tony probably had an ulterior motive, but until he showed it, she wasn't going to be rude for no particular reason.

"That's what you're going with," questioned Tony, not believing her.

"Sure," responded Pepper amusedly, neither confirming nor denying.

"It's not like I'm going to bug you until you tell me your name or something," responded Tony as he turned his body so that he could face her.

"You don't think Pepper is my real name?"

"Not unless your parents were stoned out of their minds when you were born."

"It's unique, and I like it." She had to admit, she liked his truthfulness.

"Pepper," asserted Tony to himself. He was still hesitant to believe her, but it didn't matter. He'd just call her that until she told him the truth. After all, she'd be irritated with it a lot sooner than he would.

"Yep," responded Pepper.

"That's kinda cool then," said Tony, trying to think of something to say. Thankfully he didn't have to, the bell had rung for first period to begin with. Almost instantly, everyone got up and left the room. Tony got up as well and nodded at Rhodey for him to head out first. He wasn't entirely sure if he should stay behind with Pepper, but felt he should.

"What class do you have next," asked Tony as he threw his information packet into the basket on Mrs. Sanders' desk.

"AP US History," replied Pepper, doing the same.

"That's fun. Assuming it doesn't bore you to sleep." Pepper smiled and thanked Tony as he held the door open for her to walk out of.

"I can show you a faster path to the history side of campus if you want."

"I'd be so grateful," responded Pepper. She had spent a lot of time going over the campus map, but she had been confused from the start. Directions were never her strong suit.

"Where are you from," asked Tony, steering Pepper into a crowded hallway.

"The East Coast. Have you heard of Ocean City?"

"Uh, yeah," replied Tony shockingly. He had stayed a couple of nights in Maryland all thanks to his parents' decision to expand Stark Industries to areas in the East Coast that didn't include New York. His parents were there for a board meeting and he had spent the free time down on the beaches finding things to do.

"It's in Maryland, right?" Pepper nodded and followed as Tony turned right.

"And there's a bunch of carnival games on the boardwalk near Pier 32." Before Pepper could respond, Tony spoke again.

"But those games are rigged, right?" Pepper smiled. She couldn't help realizing how young at heart he was. Maybe it was because he was known to not have a childhood growing up.

"I literally spent like $50 dollars trying to win a stuffed lion that..." Tony trailed off, now fully aware of his complaining. _God...shut up. She probably thinks you're an idiot._

"Did you ever win anything," he asked, changing the subject.

"Yep. Usually for things like throwing balls into buckets or shooting at ducks." Tony glanced over at Pepper and smirked.

"So you're good with your hands, huh?" Pepper rolled her eyes and remained silent for a second, trying to think of an appropriate response.

"I'll pretend like I didn't hear that."

"You brought it up." Pepper stayed quiet after that. Tony internally sighed and looked around. He didn't know why, but Pepper was different. She didn't fall for his line or flirt along, but it was alright. He was sure he could get her to come around.

"So this is the building," said Tony a few minutes later.

"Thanks," responded Pepper. She had chosen to stay quiet after Tony's innuendo just because it had caught her off guard. She didn't know exactly how to respond, and honestly, she didn't want to. He could flirt all he wanted, but it'd always be useless. She was in a relationship, and Robert was an amazing guy. It would be stupid to waste what she had on someone who only did commitment for sex. And even if she were single, she'd still pass. It would be hard to trust a guy like Tony; it wasn't worth the pain in the end.

"Shouldn't you be heading to class?"

"I don't really care for time," replied Tony with a smile. Before Pepper could respond, one of the many bells scattered around the school rang.

"Relax," said Tony right after the sound dissipated. He had to laugh a bit at the panicked expression on Pepper's face.

"It's just the five minute bell. Has anyone ever told you that you're kind of uptight? You might want to work on it, Pepper."

"I'm trying to," responded Pepper. She figured it was better to tell the truth than to lie.

"And I'm having a party tomorrow night around 10pm, so if you want to come, feel free."

"I'll keep that in mind," she replied, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"You're not lying, right? Because I'm seriously still having a hard time believing your name is Pepper." Pepper smiled. She couldn't believe that he wouldn't accept her name.

"I'm not. I just have plans," she replied.

"Plans," asked Tony suspiciously as the two minute bell sounded.

"I should get going." With that, Pepper started heading toward the history building, but was quickly stopped with a hand to her wrist.

"Come on, at least consider it."

"To be honest, I'm not even sure I know where you live."

"10880 Malibu Point. It's a big house in the middle of nowhere. You can't miss it."

"Okay," she responded. Pepper wasn't sure of his intentions, but she figured she could agree now and just not show up tomorrow night.

"Great." Tony dropped his grasp on Pepper's wrist and let her go. Watching her disappear into the building, he turned around and made his way to his first class that was on the opposite side of campus.


	4. Love Is A Battlefield

**A/N: I finally had time to write another chapter. College is crazy...and looks like I'll be busy these next three weeks with lab reports, midterms, and finals coming up. Expect another chapter in early ****April!**

* * *

"And you think that's going to get Pepper to change her mind about you?"

"Honestly," asked Tony, taking a quick scan of his surroundings before answering his own question.

"No." He had just sped home in record time so he could pick up the various pieces of trash that he had left in his father's workshop.

"Why don't you just let her go," asked Rhodey, his voice resonating through the workshop.

"She's hot," replied Tony simply, picking up the food wrappers near his feet.

"And completely uninterested in you."

"Details," he replied, waving the situation off with his hand.

"And what about the name I asked earlier," added Tony, tossing a Starbucks cup into the trash.

"Why are you so interested in new girls this year? Are you tired of cheerleaders?"

"You can never have too much cheerleaders," smirked Tony as he picked up some wrenches and threw them back to where they had originally came from.

"Do you think she's hot?"

"Pepper," asked Rhodey, not sure if Tony was still talking about the girl he'd just asked about.

"Why would I be asking about Pepper again?"

"Because she was the topic of conversation for the past fifteen minutes!"

"Hey, no need to get snippy. I'm just asking your opinion on something."

"You can't really judge a person based off a name," replied Rhodey after a sigh.

"That's not true." _People do that to me all the time_, he thought.

"I'm living proof of that," added Tony, bringing over the trash can he'd been using to the desk.

"That's because you make..."

"Hey, I do good things too, alright? It's just that no one cares enough about that to want to write an article about it."

"I know. And I'm not judging. Besides, you'll figure out who this Virginia P. girl is tomorrow at lab."

"Oh my God, Facebook," said Tony suddenly, and clapping his hands so his holographic computer screens would show up in front of him.

"Later," sighed Rhodey, knowing all too well that Tony was now off in his own little world.

"It's nice to have you back, sir," announced JARVIS seconds later after Rhodey had hung up.

"What's up, JARVIS," responded Tony as he pulled up the feeds from the mansion security cameras.

"From where you are, I believe the ceiling is what's..."

"Not literally," interrupted Tony with a roll of his eyes.

"And do a search for me. Name: Virginia P. Go through every social networking data base available and narrow it down to age 16-17 in the Malibu area."

"Certainly, sir." As JARVIS went on with his task, Tony looked around the workshop. He didn't want a thing out of place when his father arrived. He knew he would never hear the end of it if Howard found something somewhere that was supposed to be there.

"JARVIS, everything here is back to its original place, right?"

"Yes, sir. However, Mr. Stark has noticed the skid marks you've made with your Audi R8 just fifteen minutes ago. And I must add, he is not too pleased."

"Why didn't you mention that they were already back," Tony mumbled.

"You asked me to not disturb you."

"I know. It was rhetorical," snarled Tony. _Great, seven minutes back and he's already up my ass about something he doesn't care about. _

"Might I suggest you go greet your father?"

"Remind me again when I asked you for advice?"

"You didn't, sir."

"Then shut the hell up, JARVIS." With that, Tony turned his attention back to his holographic screen and sighed. Changing the security feed to the outside cameras, he saw them. As JARVIS had mentioned, his parents were talking and, surprisingly, laughing outside on the lawn by their overpriced waterfall fountain.

"Sir, initial research is complete. I am sorry to say, but there is no Virginia P. living in this area."

"God, this day is just getting worse," mumbled Tony as he got up. He knew he needed to go greet his parents sometime. _S__ooner's better than later. _

"Shut down until I say otherwise. I'm about to step in hell for the next couple of minutes." Walking up the stairs, Tony sighed. He hated days like these. Running a hand through the brown curled ends of his hair, he spent his last minute of peace thinking about Pepper. Judging from her first period, she was smart, so it bemused him that they didn't share a class together. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was that Pepper was different. She wasn't his usual run of the mill girl. He had thought a party would work in his favor at first: four or five drinks in and she'd loosen up, but it wasn't right. Getting her drunk, then taking advantage of her...it wasn't something he wanted to do, wasn't something he'd ever want to sink down to. He knew it'd be best if he left her alone. After all, it'd be easier for him. Pepper would be a waste of his time; and today had been a good indication of that. But he wasn't lying when he had told Rhodey she was hot. She had something to her though, aside from looks, that he couldn't quite yet figure out. So until he got asked to stop bothering her by Pepper herself, he figured he could continue flirting with her.

"Tony," his mother said after he had walked out of the front door.

"Come here, sweetheart." Putting on a sincere smile, Tony walked up to Maria and hugged her.

"How was your first day of school," Maria asked as she withdrew herself from her son.

"Alright," he said, before glancing over at his father. Tony knew Howard would ignore him until he made the first move. But this time, however, he could tell that it wasn't necessary.

"How many times do I have to tell you to not speed down my property with your stupid race cars?"

"Come on, Howard. He's just a kid," said Maria, stepping in. She knew the situation at hand would only end up in a fight between the two men.

"Tony's lucky I don't have him paying the bill," snarled Howard, looking at Tony with a fierce glare.

"I'll get it fixed," Tony said finally, looking his father in the eyes. Howard Stark was intimidating, but he wasn't going to back down. He wasn't a coward.

"You'll just ruin everything."

"I said I'll fix it. Wasn't I clear the first time?"

"You're not going to spend money on something that's just going to happen all over again."

"You do, all the time. Why is it different when I do it?"

"Because it's not your money," said Howard bluntly, ignoring Maria's protest to let the situation go.

"It's mine," he added.

"And you don't think I know that?"

"Not the way you spend through your allowance, I don't."

"Howard, please," protested Maria, stepping in again. She hated when the two of them fought.

"Fine," said Howard seconds later after a period of dead silence.

"But the kid is still paying for this."

"Alright," said Maria as she let her hand fall off Howard's chest before smiling to lighten the mood.

"I'll go start dinner now." With that, she uneasily left her two boys alone.

"You're going to start working for Stark Industries," stated Howard once Maria was out of earshot.

"You're insane if you think I'm going to spend one second of my time there," replied Tony, not bothering to look at his father and keeping his gaze fixed at a nearby piece of lawn ornament. It wasn't that he was afraid to look at Howard, it was just that he didn't want to. Or at least, that was what he told himself. _Maybe I am a coward. _

"I'm not asking," said Howard coldly, taking several steps closer to Tony until he was in front of his son's face.

"Am I clear? Or do I have to say it again?" Tony took his stare off the distance and looked back over at his father with the best blank expression he could muster.

"So tomorrow?"

"And wear a suit," his father added before walking off.

"Fuck you," mumbled Tony under his breath as he made his way back into the house himself.

* * *

Pepper sighed as she went upstairs to her bedroom. It had been a long and stressful day for her, but it had went well. It was a little disconcerting at first to see Tony in her sixth period, but it turned out better than she had hoped. Tony hadn't noticed her in his class, but it could had also been because he had spent the entire time flirting with a girl he had been sitting with.

"How was your first day of school?" Pepper turned around at the sound of her mother's voice.

"Alright," she replied, clipping her hair up.

"Alright," asked Victoria Potts curiously as she stepped into her daughter's room.

"What else do you want?"

"I'm just asking about school," said Victoria kindly.

"You're going to have to be more specific then," replied Pepper, with the same amount of kindness.

"Tony Stark's her lab partner," declared Peter with a sly grin from her bedroom door.

"What," their mother nearly screeched.

"What the hell," yelled Pepper, throwing a piercing stare at her brother.

"Virginia," her mother then said, waiting for an explanation. Pepper sighed. She had been vague with her mother for this reason. Some night, long ago, she had gone downstairs to get a glass of cold water, and halfway down, she had heard her parents talking about Tony. She hadn't stayed long enough to eavesdrop, but it was clear they didn't want Tony Stark anywhere near their daughter.

"It's alphabetically ordered, mom."

"I highly doubt that," her mother deadpanned.

"Well, it is the truth," replied Pepper.

"You expect me to believe that no one in your class had a last name that began with R?"

"Well, I wouldn't know, would I? Being the new girl," Pepper trailed off.

"We'll talk about this during dinner," her mother simply said before walking out her bedroom door.

"I can't wait," said Pepper after slamming the door on Peter's face once her mother was out of site.

"Great," she muttered, walking over to her bed and lying down. Her mother was beyond any point of reasoning, but there really wasn't anything wrong with Tony being her lab partner. Sure, she was aware that he was interested in her, but it wasn't mutual. Given time, she figured Tony would forget about her and move on; it looked as though he had already. He had spent his entire two hour class time laughing and flirting with some slutty looking cheerleader...which hadn't bothered her. In fact, she hoped whatever they were doing lasted. If Tony was preoccupied with somebody else, it would keep her off his trail. _At least I hope so_, she thought, falling asleep soon after.

It was only three hours later that a ring from her laptop had woken her up. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she glanced at the clock: 7:16pm. With a smile, she got up and picked up her MacBook Pro knowing it would Robert.

"Did I wake you up," asked the person from the other side of the screen.

"No," responded Pepper grimily.

"It's 7:18," stated Robert, converting their time difference and watching Pepper rub her eyes.

"I had a long day," snarked Pepper unintentionally.

"Whoa, no need to be cranky," replied Robert, chuckling.

"Sorry," responded Pepper with a small grin. She had a habit of being moody after her naps.

"It's alright," he replied. Pepper let out an airy laugh and proceeded to ask Robert about his six day trip to Rome. Robert and her were approaching their eighteen month anniversary, and they'd never been apart this much before. And since they were busy with their own lives, they both rarely had a chance to sit down and actually Skype each other.

"Oh, Emma and Morgan say hi. They want you to call them when you can spare a minute." Pepper smiled. She needed to hear that. She missed her best friends, and it was great knowing they missed her as much as she missed them.

"I will. Did they give you a hard time?"

"Aside from the pep talk I got from Morgan, no," he replied with a laugh, not trying to be serious.

"What did Morgan say to you," asked Pepper, knowing it couldn't be good.

"Nothing," replied Robert, trying to brush the topic off as if it wasn't important.

"Tell me, Robert," said Pepper bluntly.

"Okay, and don't be mad," he said, easing into the conversation.

"Morgan thinks I'm going to cheat on you because you're gone."

"That's absurd," replied Pepper, silently regretting her demand for Robert to answer her.

"Is it," asked Robert skeptically.

"Because I think you believe it, too." Robert didn't need to go on further for her to know what he had been referencing to.

"I don't," replied Pepper with the best confidence she had.

"And you shouldn't either," she added.

"Alright," said Robert unconvincingly. Pepper smiled and changed the subject. Ever since that night he had pressured her for sex, she had did her best to avoid being in close proximity with him. All of it was his fault, and he took full blame for it, but she felt it was hers too. They had been a couple for a year and a half, she should had known he wanted sex, and it surprised her that he had waited this long to 'ask' to begin with. But she still wasn't ready, and she wasn't going to give in just to please him.

"I still can't believe you got lost with a map," muttered Robert.

"Wow, I have this sudden desire to hang up on you," said Pepper teasingly.

"Please don't."

"You know I hate it when you make fun of my inability to read directions."

"Pepper, don't," he said again.

"I haven't even told you why I called," he added.

"You have three minutes," replied Pepper, not falling for his shenanigans. She was not in the mood.

"Our anniversary is coming up," he said, affectively getting Pepper's attention.

"What about it," asked Pepper, forgetting her ultimatum.

"I really don't want to spend it without you, so I was thinking maybe I could buy a plane ticket and come see you?" Pepper's mouth widened into a smile at that.

"Are you serious," asked Pepper, not entirely believing it.

"Assuming it'd be alright?"

"Of course it's alright," Pepper nearly shouted, the sleep now completely gone from her body.

"So Friday night I'll..."

"Wait," said Pepper quickly.

"Friday? Like tomorrow?"

"Uh, yeah. Our anniversary is this Sunday," replied Robert superiorly, hoping Pepper had forgotten.

"I know," she retorted.

"Damn it," said Robert as he snapped his fingers in response. Pepper laughed.

"And I can't wait." _Now I really do have plans this Friday, _she thought, a smile forming on her face.

* * *

**Thanks for waiting and reading. Please review!**

**And I have been reading the reviews, so thanks for those who have offered their opinions. I'm glad you guys are enjoying it. **


End file.
